Stellantis’ Fiat division used the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show to advertise the North American debuts of its 2024 500e electrical automotive and the brand new “Metaverse Store” that might be used to assist promote it. The automobile and its digital showroom are already out there in Europe, and the corporate hopes these items may help revive the struggling Italian model discover extra success throughout the pond.
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2024 Fiat 500e
Little is thought in regards to the North American-spec 500e, however we think about it should carefully observe its European counterpart. The subcompact two-door hatchback doesn’t look a lot totally different than the 500e that was bought completely in California and Oregon from 2013-2019. Expect the 2024 version to make use of a 117-horsepower electrical motor powered by a 32.3-kWh battery. Under US rules, the estimated driving vary will doubtless be lower than the 199 miles of the European mannequin.
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The Metaverse Store makes use of digital actuality expertise to move consumers to a digital showroom the place they’ll get an in-depth tour of the automobile with out leaving their houses. A “Product Genius” avatar will assist facilitate the procuring and buy course of. The Metaverse Store is accessible through a suitable pill, smartphone, or PC and doesn’t require any specialised VR {hardware}.
Fiat additionally plans to associate with Free2move as a part of an initiative to additional enhance EV consciousness with the driving public. Free2move is an organization that works like a mixture of Zipcar, Turo, and a new-car lease/subscription service. People will be capable of hire or lease a 500e in places throughout the nation for as little as a couple of minutes or so long as a number of months.
Full options and pricing for the US-spec 2024 Fiat 500e might be out there nearer to when it and the Metaverse Store come on-line early subsequent yr. We estimate a base value of round $32,000 earlier than tax incentives.
CG Says:
The Fiat 500e looks like an honest sufficient EV that might see some success with its Free2move partnership. The Metaverse Store idea is what has us scratching our heads. We perceive the corporate desirous to do one thing totally different, however contemplating most metaverse ideas have largely been failures, we will’t envision a state of affairs the place this one could be totally different.
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2024 Fiat 500e Gallery
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2022 Los Angeles Auto Show: 2025 Fiat 500e
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Source: weblog.consumerguide.com